Dew Tour Snowboard Championships

A tidbit I shot and wrote for Frequency Magazine.

Utah's best kept secret- Snowbasin, was host to the 2011 Dew Championships this last weekend. Under bluebird conditions 44,000 people attended the 4 day event- shattering all previous attendance records. With Saturday's mob surpassing 20,000, an Egyptian like frenzy made the air sticky in anticipation of the pipe thunderdome to come. Snowbasin also upped the ante by supersizing it's pipe walls from 18 to 22 feet specifically for the event.



Luke Mitrani took full advantage of the day coming from nowhere to pull the highest score ever awarded in a Dew tour pipe history at 97.0. His run included double michal chuck, front 9, back 5, front 18 and cab double 10. Greg Bretz placed second with 95 and old guy Steve Fisher (age 28) on the last hit of his final run pulled out a front ten double cork to finish 3rd with 92.

Contender Loui Vito had a disappointing day's performance finishing 7th, but ended up winning the over all Super pipe Dew Cup after snagging first in the Breckenridge and Killington tour stops.

Loui Vito


In the female realm Kelly Clark dominated. Repeatedly I heard people ask if she was a dood. Not normally a good thing, it was pure commentary on the hight and power of her riding. Kelly also pulled off a front side 1080, the second time it's been done in competition. Kaitlyn Farrington took 2nd and 38 year old Soko Yamaoka from the land of the rising sun third.

Soko Yamaoka


The scene that night continued on to dirty downtown Ogden, where Ice Cube showed he's still got game, performing to a rowdy crowd under Utah stars.

Next day was alittle fuzzy. I seemed to have missed the ladies slopestyle. Yes you can get a hangover on 3.2 beer.

Eric Willet of Breckenridge was the big winner of the day earning the highest Dew slopestyle score ever awarded with 97.25. Mark McMorris put in a good run for second, and in classic daytime tv drama last rider Torstein Horgmo dropped in to bounce former fellow DC team mate Chas Guldemond into 4th.

Torsteins finish also crowned him the overall Dew Cup Slopestyle Champion. In true viking fashion he was celebrating it up that night with grog and wenches on both arms.

The Viking Torstein Horgmo


Overall it was a pretty epic throwdown with high scores and good drama. one of the coolest things i overheard in the end was Eric Willet say next year it's all about going back to 3's and 5's with style. After all nobody wants to see freestyle go the way of aerial skiing.

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Video


Luke Mitrani Pipe Champ


Airtime


The mob below


Eric Willet


Astronaut


Torstein Horgmo


Obligatory Podium Shot


Overall Superpipe Champion Loui Vito

Dew Tour Freeskiing SuperPipe Championships

A couple shots from the Freeskiing Dew Tour Championships held at Snowbasin this past weekend. Over the course of 4 days 44,000 people were in attendance, shattering the previous attendance records.

Quick Video for a recap of the action, and images below. Some impressive riding as the 22 foot walls of the pipe were 4 feet taller than last year. The progression in skiing is moving fast.

Tomorrow I'll post up the snowboard action.

Wind Load

The snow report in the Northern Wasatch said only 4 inches that morning. Silverton local and AK guide sniffed out the best offering that day, a wind deposited tree'd slope full of white goodness. 4 magically multiplied into 12, skies blue the unexpected find made a great day so much better.

Mike Barney

Had a great couple of days shooting with one of the coolest skiers around. Mike Barney is one of those people who is quiet and unassuming, a person who treats everyone with respect. No attitudes or fronts. I guess I could say Mike in general is one of the coolest people around. I don't throw that around often.

More from the Silverton Avalanche School...

Mike has lived in Silverton for ten years and has worked as a ski guide in Colorado and Alaska for the last 8 seasons. As an avid backcountry skier, he has established many first descents in the San Juans. Mike Barney has received Level 1 AIARE avalanche instructor training and is a Wilderness First Responder. He has a wealth of experience in different snow climates and has been in the gauntlet of tough decision making. Every spring Mike migrates to Alaska to hit the big lines and guides for Valdez Heli Camps where he is the Snow Safety Director. Mike is a team member of the San Juan Search and Rescue Team and serves on the Board of Directors for the Silverton Avalanche School.

In the Summer he can be found milling wood at his business, Silverton Lumber.

Snowbird Extremes

Been nuts busy in the Wasatch mountains as late. Here's some shots from the recent North Face Masters Extremes held at the bird.

More tour info and updates coming after the Crystal stop happening NOW.

Nayarit Surfing

Behind the Shot: Ruben Lenten

The latest issue of IKitesurf Magazine features Dutch superstar Ruben Lenten and his struggle to overcome injury. Many of the images come from our work together in the Gorge this summer- which wasn't much. I figure in 5 days together we shot on the water for maybe an hour and a half.


My stoke in creating images comes a great deal from the subject themselves. For years it was easy to accomplish with Ruben.

2008 and Ruben feelin' it.

Unfortunately he has been in a tough place the last several years and as a result, it's become a challenge for me as well.

If an athlete is injured and isn't in the moment what can a photographer do? The answer is very little- especially with Ruben. There is no cajoling, or coaxing possible with pain. Ruben has intense pressure from sponsors to produce insane imagery. Compound that with injury... and you have a major formula for frustration. Especially for Ruben... all he wants to give is 100%... um make that 200% (check out 1:13 here.)


Behind the scenes my 5 days with Ruben were spent in a controlled chaos... from dawn to dusk I'm getting hourly weather reports, texts from marketing directors and company owners asking what's happening. I'm managing videographers, jet skis, a 40 foot boat, a helicopter and the logistics of keeping multiple vehicles all together and ready to go on a moments notice. While keeping the vibe upbeat and pressure low.


Sometimes what's best is to not push the button, to not make the call. To put the phone down and say it's not worth it. Let's forget about the helicopter, jet skis, the monster boat. Forget about kiteboarding... it's not the most important thing in the world.

Concern for your friends' well being and happiness is. Cause if kiting isn't fun, then why do it.

In the end with the time we did shoot we accomplished exactly what was needed. More importantly we were able to enjoy the time and leave enriched by the challenge.

Ruben psyches up

boom


soul session

Dakine Kiter- Eric Rienstra

Latest issue of SBC Kiteboard features a new ad with Dakine.

I'd been eyeing this angle on Mt Hood for a little while. The spot needed morning light and heavy wind to work due to a large wind shadow at the launch. I texted Eric from my bed early after listening to the wind chimes hammer all night, I was surprised to hear my phone ring 5 minutes later. Eric isn't known to be a morning person... but you can always count on his stoke to get out and ride no matter what.


Grabbing gear and meeting up we realized, of course... that neither of us had a working pump. As precious morning light tick'ed away we ripped over to a friend's garage, breaking in to root through some old gear. We found a pump only after it looked like we had totally botched the setup.

The launch itself required a bit of a trek. Passing barbed wire, train track, fecal ponds and blackberry bushes- the beach was one to earn. Made that much more difficult barefoot.

With one sketch launch zone and mega gusty conditions Eric made it happen. We ended shooting sun up to sun down that day. Covering nearly 50 miles of the Gorge. The entire time Eric was at it charging... stoked.

Keen Kayaker- Simon Hirter

Hybridlife clip from Keen featuring the photography I shot with Simon Hirther, a fantastic athlete who lives in Interlaken Switzerland.

Simon is a positive spirit and activist for nature. I greatly enjoyed our time together and the late night discussions about the evolution of human consciousness, what environmentalism means and the healing power that nature has.

Heavy thoughts shared in the deep forest and mountains of the Swiss Alps- truly a magical and powerful place of inspiration.